Tent Awning

ABSTRACT

An awning for a tent has an awning fabric attached at a first end to a tent, and a member attaching a first portion of the awning fabric to a tent pole and causing a second portion of the awning fabric to extend away from the tent. The member is a hook attachable to the pole, an attachment connecting the first portion of the awning fabric to the hook, an attachment strip connecting the first end of the awning fabric to the hook, or an attachment loop which loops around the pole without using the hook.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims foreign priority to China Application No.201320835971.9, filed on Dec. 17, 2013, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tent awning, and in particular to anawning integrally formed on a tent, which is held in an extendedconfiguration without additional components or assembly and collapsiblefor folding with the tent without additional disassembly.

2. Description of Prior Art

Camping tents have evolved over the years to be more user-friendly andnew features have been developed to provide the camper with additionalconveniences. One of those features is an awning which covers the windowor door, or any other opening of the tent to provide the tent withadditional protection from rain and also to provide additional shade.

As shown in FIG. 1, a tent 10 in the prior art includes an awning 12 inthe prior art composed of awning fabric 13 having a channel or sleeve14. After the tent 10 is erected, a rod 16 is inserted through thechannel 14 and each end of the rod 16 is connected to a body portion 11of the tent 10 to hold the awning 12 in a configuration in which theawning fabric 13 extends away from the tent body portion 11. The ends ofthe rod 16 are connected either to poles 15 of the tent 10 or a tentfabric 17. When collapsing the tent 10, the user must disassemble theawning 12 by detaching the rod ends and removing the rod 16 from thechannel 14.

Instant tents—tents that are sold preassembled with the tent fabricconnected to a foldable frame—have gained popularity because of the easeof folding and unfolding the tent. As described above, the awning 12 ofthe prior art is particularly inconvenient in instant tents becauseadditional assembly and disassembly is required. Thus, the concept of an“instant” tent is defeated.

The tent awnings of the prior art make the assembly and disassemblyprocess time consuming. Furthermore, with the requirement of a separaterod 16, the likelihood of misplacing the rod 16 during storage andtransport is increased. Also, the additional parts required for theawning 12, including the hardware (not shown) required to mount the rod16, increase the cost of production and the possibility of repair.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide an awning that requires no looseparts such as a rod and mounting hardware. It is also desirable to havean awning that is easily assembled and disassembled on a traditionaltent. It is further desirable to have an awning that requires noassembly or disassembly on an instant tent.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of theinvention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

The present invention provides an awning that requires no loose partssuch as a mounting rod. The present invention also provides an awningthat is easily assembled and disassembled on a traditional tent and anawning that requires no assembly or disassembly on an instant tent.

In one embodiment, an awning for a tent having a pole comprises anawning fabric attached at a first end to the tent; and a memberattaching a first portion of the awning fabric to the pole and causing asecond portion of the awning fabric to extend away from the tent. Themember includes a hook attachable to the pole. In addition to the hook,the member includes a an attachment strip connecting the first portionof the awning fabric to the hook, or includes an attachment stripconnecting the first end of the awning fabric to the hook, or includes aplurality of hooks and a plurality of attachment strips connecting eachof the first end and the first portion of the awning fabric to arespective hook.

In another embodiment, instead of the hook, the member includes anattachment loop with one end of the loop attached to the first portionof the awning fabric, and with the loop extending around the pole, andthe loop is slidable along a length of the pole.

In a further embodiment, the awning includes a seam within the awning;and a rod extending through a channel in the seam.

In alternative embodiments, the present invention comprises a tenthaving a pole, a tent fabric on the pole, and an awning with an awningfabric attached at a first end to the tent; and a member attaching afirst portion of the awning fabric to the pole and causing a secondportion of the awning fabric to extend away from the tent. The memberincludes a hook attachable to the pole. In addition to the hook, themember includes an attachment strip connecting the first portion of theawning fabric to the hook, or includes an attachment strip connectingthe first end of the awning fabric to the hook, or includes a pluralityof hooks and a plurality of attachment strips connecting each of thefirst end and the first portion of the awning fabric to a respectivehook.

In another embodiment, instead of the hook, the member of the tentincludes an attachment loop with one end of the loop attached to thefirst portion of the awning fabric, and with the loop of fabricextending around the pole, and the loop of fabric is slidable along alength of the pole.

In a further embodiment, the tent has the awning with a seam therewith;and a rod extending through a channel in the seam.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofpresently preferred embodiments of the invention, will be betterunderstood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For thepurpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawingsembodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a tent in the prior art with aprior art awning;

FIG. 2 is the top front perspective view of a tent having an awning ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of insert A of the awning of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of the awning of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another alternative embodiment of the awning of FIG. 2 and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tent of FIG. 2 in a partially foldedstate.

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, identical referencenumerals have been used, when appropriate, to designate the same orsimilar elements that are common to the figures. Further, unless statedotherwise, the features shown in the figures are not drawn to scale, butare shown for illustrative purposes only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenienceonly and is not limiting. The article “a” is intended to include one ormore items, and where only one item is intended the term “one” orsimilar language is used. Additionally, to assist in the description ofthe present invention, words such as top, bottom, upper, lower, front,rear, inner, outer, right and left are used to describe the accompanyingfigures. The terminology includes the words above specificallymentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the present invention is an awning 22 for a tent20 having tent fabric 21 on poles 25, in which the awning 22 is held inan extended configuration away from the tent fabric 21 without usinginternal rods or poles to maintain the awning in the extendedconfiguration.

Referring to FIGS. 2-3, in a first embodiment of the present invention,the awning 22 has awning fabric 23 which, when deployed in accordancewith the present invention, is held by at least one hook 26 mounted onat least one of the poles 25 upon which the awning fabric 23 ismaintained. In the present embodiment, the awning fabric 23 includes atop portion 23 a and opposing side portions 23 b but the awning fabric23 could include more or less portions.

FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged view of insert A of FIG. 2, in which afirst attachment strip 24 is attached to a tent fabric 21 on one end andto a first hook 26 a on an opposing end. In the present embodiment, thefirst attachment strip 24 is attached to a seam joining the tent fabric21 and the awning fabric 23 but could be attached elsewhere depending onthe particular design of the tent. A second attachment strip 28 isattached at one end to the awning 22 and to a second hook 26 b at anopposing end. The respective hooks 26 a, 26 b are coupled to at leastone pole 25. The attachment strips 24, 28 are, for example, strips offabric, elongated woven nylon material, or a combination of both,attached at one end to the awning fabric 23 or a tent fabric 21 by anyknown attachment mechanism, such as seams, glue, fasteners, etc. Forexample, the first attachment strip 24 is a woven nylon strip which isattached to the tent fabric 21, and the second attachment strip 28includes a fabric portion 29 and a nylon portion 31 and is attached tothe awning fabric 23 using a seam 27.

Due to the position and orientation of the second hook 26 b as well asthe length of the attachment strips 28, the awning fabric 23 is pulledby the second hook 26 b and attachment strip 28 to be in theconfiguration extending away from the tent fabric 21 to provide anawning 22 of the tent 20, as shown in FIG. 2. In this manner, the awningfabric 23 is substantially taut such that any rain water will flowdownward instead of accumulating on top of the awning 22. The extendedconfiguration of the awning 22 is adjustable in size and shape by theuser who selects the location of the second hook 26 b along a selectedpole 25 of the tent 20. In addition, the awning 22 may be easilycollapsed during folding of the tent 20 by detaching the secondattachment strip 28 from the second hook 26 b and/or by detaching thesecond hook 26 b from the pole 25.

In addition, the hooks 26 a, 26 b may be a known mechanism which may beslidably mounted and/or detached and reattached from one position toanother on the poles 25, allowing a selected hook 26 a, 26 b to besecurely mounted in a selected position along a selected one of thepoles 25.

Accordingly, the awning 22 of the present invention does not use orrequire additional rods or poles for deploying the awning 22 in theextended configuration.

As shown in FIG. 3, the seam 27 may optionally include a channel 40 inwhich a rod (not shown) may be placed for forming the awning fabric 23to be substantially planar, while the second hook 26 b and secondattachment strip 28 hold the awning fabric 23 of the awning 22 in theextended configuration away from the tent fabric 21. Optionally, theseam 27 and rod could be shaped and sized to a desired configuration.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a single hook 26 isattached to the attachment strips 24, 28, with the first attachmentstrip 24 connected to an end or corner of the tent fabric 21, and withthe second attachment strip 28 connected to a portion or side of theawning 22. In this configuration, materials cost is reduced duringmanufacture while still providing the proper support for the awning 22.

In a further embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a single hook 26 is attached tothe tent fabric 21 and an attachment loop 30 is attached to a portion ofthe awning 22. The attachment loop 30 loops around one of the poles 25,and the attachment loop 30 may slide along the selected pole 25 when thetent is folded. In addition, the attachment loop 30 may be repositionedby sliding the attachment loop 30 along the pole 25, allowing a user tofurther adjust the configuration of the awning 22 relative to the tentfabric 21. The attachment loop 30 could be constructed of materials suchas tent fabric, woven nylon or the like and could be elastic.

Accordingly, using combination of the hooks 26 and attachment strips 24,28 as well as the attachment loop 30 shown in FIGS. 2-5, the awning 22may be configured and deployed in a selected shape and configurationrelative to the tent 21 and poles 25 of the tent 20. In addition, byusing such hooks 26 and the slidable attachment loop 30 located on atleast one pole 25, the awning 22 can be easily folded when the tent 20is folded.

In operation, the awning 22 could be disassembled by removing the secondhook 26 b from the pole 25. Alternatively, if the awning 22 is used onan instant tent, as shown in FIG. 2, the second hook 26 b is maintainedon the pole 25 as the tent 20 is folded, as shown in FIG. 6. As the tent20 is folded, the awning 22 is collapsed and the hooks 26 a, 26 b slideon the pole 25 to facilitate the folding process.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. An awning for a tent having a pole, with the awning comprising: anawning fabric attached at a first end to the tent; and a memberattaching a first portion of the awning fabric to the pole and causing asecond portion of the awning fabric to extend away from the tent.
 2. Theawning of claim 1, wherein the member includes a hook attachable to thepole.
 3. The awning of claim 2, wherein the member includes anattachment strip connecting the first portion of the awning fabric tothe hook.
 4. The awning of claim 2, wherein the member includes anattachment strip connecting the first end of the awning fabric to thehook.
 5. The awning of claim 2, wherein the member includes a pluralityof hooks and a plurality of attachment strips connecting each of thefirst end and the first portion of the awning fabric to a respectivehook.
 6. The awning of claim 1, wherein the member includes anattachment loop with one end of the loop attached to the first portionof the awning fabric, and with the attachment loop extending around thepole.
 7. The awning of claim 6, wherein the attachment loop is slidablealong a length of the pole.
 8. The awning of claim 1, furthercomprising: a seam within the awning fabric; and a rod extending througha channel in the seam.
 9. An awning for a tent having a pole, with theawning comprising: an awning fabric attached at a first end to the tent;and a member having a first hook attachable to the pole with the firsthook attaching a first portion of the awning fabric to the pole andcausing a second portion of the awning fabric to extend away from thetent.
 10. The awning of claim 9, wherein the member includes anattachment strip connecting the first portion of the awning fabric tothe first hook.
 11. The awning of claim 9, wherein the member includesan attachment strip connecting the first end of the awning fabric to thefirst hook.
 12. The awning of claim 9, wherein the member includes aplurality of hooks and a plurality of attachment strips connecting eachof the first end and the first portion of the awning fabric to arespective hook.
 13. The awning of claim 9, further comprising: anattachment loop with one end of the attachment loop attached to thefirst portion of the awning fabric, and with the attachment loopextending around the pole.
 14. The awning of claim 13, wherein theattachment loop is slidable along a length of the pole.
 15. The awningof claim 9, further comprising: a seam within the awning fabric; and arod extending through a channel in the seam.
 16. A tent comprising: apole; a tent fabric on the pole; and an awning including: an awningfabric attached at a first end to the tent fabric; and a memberattaching a first portion of the awning fabric to the pole and causing asecond portion of the awning fabric to extend away from the tent fabric.17. The awning of claim 16, wherein the member includes a hookattachable to the pole.
 18. The tent of claim 16, wherein the memberincludes an attachment loop with one end of the attachment loop attachedto the first portion of the awning fabric, and with the attachment loopextending around the pole.
 19. The tent of claim 18, wherein theattachment loop is slidable along a length of the pole.
 20. The tent ofclaim 16, further comprising: a seam within the awning fabric; and a rodextending through a channel in the seam.